Section: News & Summaries

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko says that the combat strength of missile troops and artillery has tripled over the past two years. ”Compared to 2014, the combat strength of the troops has tripled. Today, we`re undertaking concerted measures to enhance the combat potential of the missile troops and...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday accused Syrian government troops of committing ”crimes against humanity” that could not be overlooked, according to Reuters. Human rights groups and Western countries have previously accused Syria`s army, backed by Russia`s air force, of targeting hospitals, bakeries and other civilian areas when...

The National Bank of Ukraine on Wednesday evening strengthened the official hryvnia exchange rate by three kopiykas, bringing the national currency to UAH 25.55 to the dollar. The Central Bank set the following official exchange rates of the hryvnia against leading foreign currencies for November 3: $100 costs UAH 2,555.8676 (on November 2, it...

The new emblem for the Ukrainian Military Intelligence depicting an owl with a sword striking a spot on a map where Russia is located, which sparked an angry reaction in Moscow, means exactly what it seems, Ukrainian activists say, according to Ukraine Today. The emblem appears to carry even more unequivocal allusions than noted by Russia,...

Crude oil futures rose on Thursday as an attack on a Nigerian oil pipeline and a weaker U.S. dollar buoyed sentiment in the market, lifting prices from five-week lows, according to Reuters. Brent crude was trading up 51 cents, or 1.1 percent, at $47.37 a barrel by 0415 GMT (12:15 a.m. ET). U.S. crude was up 39 cents, or 0.9 percent, at $45.73 per...

Washington has welcomed Ukrainian officials` public declarations of their wealth as a step toward increasing citizens` confidence in elected officials, according to RFE/RL. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch told RFE/RL in an interview on November 2 that the asset declaration system is ”an important first step” toward increasing...

At the moment, the United States does not intend to join the meetings of the Normandy Four leaders (Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia) on the Donbas conflict settlement, according to the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie L. Yovanovitch, RFE/RL reports. ”I don`t think that there are any plans at this time for us to join the Normandy format but...

The international system of online payments, PayPal, has no intention to start operating in Ukraine over the next 12 months, the National Bank reported on Facebook citing its director of its payment systems and innovative development department Serhiy Shatsky as saying. ”Unfortunately, the international system of online payments, PayPal, whose...

Ukraine is refitting and expanding its naval fleet, including repairing its flagship, the frigate ”Hetman Sahaydachnyy”, to counter a Russian military build-up in the annexed territory of Crimea, the commander of the Ukrainian navy says, according to Reuters. The upgrade will be helped by $30 million worth of U.S. aid, part of a $500 million...

Ukraine`s Cabinet of Ministers has not supported an investment program for the development of the Yuzivska shale gas field in the country`s eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, and rejected Yuzgas B.V.`s participation in a production sharing agreement (PSA) under the program. A respective protocol decision was read out by Ukrainian Prime Minister...